William Shen ’27 < Back Is this headline ChatGPTed? William Shen ’27 On October 1, Mercersburg Academy hosted a special day of artificial intelligence (AI) training, in which teachers and students completed specific and individualized training on the practical and ethical use of artificial intelligence. Students in each grade joined one session, which included class-related activities, AI training, asynchronous work, and emergency Informacast updates. For many students, the AI training session led by Greg Kulowiec exposed the myths and truths of generative artificial intelligence and its best use for students in an academic and communal setting. “[The session] taught us to be more conscious about how we are using AI and gave us insight into how the information we are being given by A.I. can be false. It was done with the intent of making sure that we approach AI with caution and not immediately trust everything it outputs,” Chris Carbone ’26 reflected. “I think that teachers just want to make sure that students are using AI properly and that they aren't being misinformed, and the presentation helps teachers to take a step forward and ensure that students are properly using AI.” Listening to Kulowiec, students acknowledged the tendency of AI to regurgitate material from the database. Eric Wang ’27, likewise, observed that generative AIs often yields ideas of limited to the input: “[The session] told us how the models are trained to be convenient to us instead of being critical, as well as how we can both take advantage and be wary of the limits they have set, because it is usually people giving them the limitations.” Some students recognized AI’s practical use as a tool in education. Tuana Özdemir ’26 noted, “We learned how AI changed over time, and I think [the teachers] tried to show us the good ways of AI use, how we can use it to help us learn and understand better.” Roy Seligman ’28 stated, “I was definitely not aware of the detrimental effects that using AI too much has on our brains, and I was really surprised that it atrophies brain cells that much. As a frequent ChatGPT user myself, I am definitely going to begin using AI as solely a helper rather than replacing my actual efforts. I think teaching us how to use AI as a good companion can be really helpful and can actually benefit our schoolwork a lot more than some people might think.” Head of School Quentin McDowell explained that, from an educator’s perspective, the AI Training Day was part of a broader effort to prepare teachers and students for the future. The Academy partnered with the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education to deliver what will be a year-long AI course for all teaching faculty. “One of the primary drivers for having an AI day was to help our educators imagine ways to practically apply artificial intelligence and generative AI to the work in school. A big part of it is to demystify [AI] and to make it more accessible, so that we work with it, not against it.” Associate Head of School for Student Life Julia Maurer hopes that the training will increase the community’s familiarity with AI as a whole. “We have a wide variety of comfort with technology—both our students and our faculty—and knowledge about what AI is and the tools that are available. So I thought [AI] is an unavoidable part of our lives; we’re at a point … where it’s really hard to go through the day without engaging [with] AI in some way.” Others found the training necessary to adapt to the ever-rising trend of AI use. “In terms of AI, it is very important for us to embrace it because we are not going to get anywhere without it. The speaker said none of us chose for our lives to be changed, but inevitably it is going to get changed, and it has already been changed. It’s meaningful for the school to put us through the lesson,” remarked Bruce Zhang ’28. Not only was the training important for students, the teaching faculty also had much to gain. “People come [to] technology from a lot of different places, so our effort is to make sure that we are meeting all of our teachers where they are. At the end of the day, you have to know how AI works, how to use it, and all of the different applications and tools, because all of our students know about it,” said McDowell. “There are a lot of benefits that come with it: common language, common understanding, helping people overcome their fears, helping people understand the many ways that [AI] can be used as a positive tool, not just as a negative tool. I think when we hear AI, we think of ChatGPT, cheating, [or] plagiarism. But it can be a really great tool for teachers and for students to be able to be more efficient in their work, to gain deeper and faster understanding of subject matters, and there [are] so many other things that we can create using AI tools now, and it’s just the beginning.” Previous Next

Jelly Nguyen '24 < Back Interview with the new student body president! Jelly Nguyen '24 With the recent election of Jordan Yuan ’24 as student body president, The Mercersburg News chose to conduct an interview with Yuan and current student body president Peter Rice ’23. The two reflected on the past school year and shared their thoughts about current school issues. Mercersburg News: What are your ambitions for next year? Jordan Yuan ’24: My ambitions for next year are to improve student life by changing many aspects, say, the food in the dining hall and the True Blue Cafe. Academically, I want to have a proper schedule that satisfies more people and makes more use of our current facilities like the VR studio. Also, improved dorm life. I remember Peter talking about the possibility of sleepovers last year; I'm really interested in that. I want to continue pursuing the students’ best interests. MN: What are some reflections as this year's president? Peter Rice ’23: I learned a lot this year. I learned how nuanced and how hard the process is to get something changed. [There are] a lot of people involved, getting approval from many different groups. The main takeaway was that to get a policy change, it takes a lot of work and meetings and such. MN: What are your opinions on the current visitation policy? JY: I think there is space to improve in terms of visitation policies. I hear people complaining about more flexible visitation times during weekdays. So we will keep collecting opinions from people and work for their best interests. PR: Oh, I think there's definitely room to improve. This year we worked on making steps towards better policies, like having the time during weekdays for seniors to go into common rooms. But I think there's space for that to be improved, maybe extending that to more grades, extending the hours. MN: What are your opinions on the current behavior point system? JY: I believe the behavior points system is definitely a better way for students to keep themselves from getting into more trouble. It has even stopped me from skipping classes because I have to consider the hit on my [point total]. I feel like it's a necessary system. PR: I think there are pros and cons to it. With the behavior point system, your punishment isn't as directly related to what you did. In the past, if you missed a class, you just went to study hall that night. With the point system, you have some wiggle room before you get to the punishments. MN: What are some ambitions for student activities that you have next year? JY: Oh, as I mentioned earlier…, I think people really liked boba in the True Blue Cafe. That is one of the main things I'm working on because most complaints are food-related. And next thing is dorm policies. Those are the two main issues I'm going to work on. But taking into account that Trini is leaving, I will work with whoever's in charge next year to keep the frequency and fun of activities up. Previous Next

Tristan Paulette ’27 < Back ’26 victorious at Founder’s Day Tristan Paulette ’27 On October 10, 2025, Mercersburg Academy held its second annual Founder’s Day, created as a way to commemorate the school’s founding as well as a time for students to enjoy a variety of activities, such as lip sync, tug of war, and water balloon toss. Andy Brown, Dean of Students for Community Life, stated, “Founder's Day has two parts: the morning meeting about the school’s history and the afternoon class competitions. The student government and class councils did a lot more of the planning this year, which made it feel more student-driven. We added trivia and smaller relays to make the day more inclusive and spontaneous so that everyone could participate in some way. I think it was a big success, more students got involved, and it was great seeing so much class pride and school spirit.” Brodie Dann ‘28 said, “I liked Founder's Day a lot this year. It was way better because we were on the turf, and it felt like more people could participate in the games. The relay race was probably the best part. Everyone was cheering, and it had great energy. I think the songs were all good too, and I was happy our grade got a fun one.” Dann also added that “there were a lot more games, and a lot more people could participate.” Similarly, Ben Pham ‘27 enjoyed the event: “I thought Founder's Day was fun, especially the tug of war — that was definitely the highlight for me. The shaved ice was also really good. Karin Sugiyama ‘27, Director of Student Activities for the Class of 2027, added her reflections. “I think Founder's Day was fun overall, but maybe we organized it too much — it lost a bit of the fondness and spontaneity. The water balloon activity wasn’t as engaging as the relays, which are fun to cheer for. We tried to make it inclusive by adding trivia for people who aren’t as athletic, but it still felt less hype compared to last year,” she said. Sophie Oh ‘26 agreed, “Honestly, the weather kind of ruined the vibe — it was cold, and I felt like a lot of people skipped or weren’t as into it. There just wasn’t as much school spirit this year, and it felt really short compared to before. Still, it was fun to watch and see the freshman class being so into it — that gave me hope that things might get more lively again. I just wish people got to pick their own songs for lip sync because then everyone would be more excited to participate.” Picking up on a larger pattern, Oh added, “There just wasn’t a lot of spirit, but maybe that’s been a trend in a lot of activities lately.” However, other students from her class found the event exciting. Anouk Wandeler ‘26 said, “I’m really happy we won — our class has been waiting for this since we came in second last year, so it felt great to finally do it.” She also considered her experience in the Class of 2026 lip sync group: “We weren’t feeling confident at first because of the song we got, but we pushed through and ended up having so much fun. It was cool to see everyone come together and actually enjoy performing. I liked that the songs were chosen randomly, but I do wish the selection had been more even. Ours felt a bit out of place compared to the others.” Many students disagreed with the Office of Student Life’s decision to randomize the song choices, which differed from the previous year, in which students had the opportunity to choose their own songs. Brown explained the reasoning for the change: “We did that to keep things spontaneous and fair, and so one class couldn’t spend all summer practicing a routine ahead of time. It pushed students to be more creative in the moment and to have fun with what they were given. The goal was to make Founder's Day less about competition and more about school spirit and collaboration.” The Class of 2026, in particular, was disappointed in its assigned song choice: Dance Monkey by Tones and I. Oh spoke for many of her classmates when she said, “Honestly, when I first heard the song our class got for lip sync, I was flabbergasted. I remember thinking, who even came up with this? Who listens to this song, and how is this supposed to get people excited? It sounded like something they’d play at Macy’s. But even though the choice was random and kind of weird, I think our class actually pulled it off really well. Still, I think it would’ve been way more fun if we got to choose our own songs — that way people could pick something they actually liked and be more creative and excited to perform.” Meanwhile, Wandeler offered a more nuanced take: “I actually liked that the songs were chosen randomly because it made things fair and more of a surprise. But I do think the song selection could’ve been more balanced — the other classes got really upbeat 2010s throwbacks, while ours was a slower 2022 song, so it didn’t feel totally even.” Members of other classes weighed in. Dann added, “I think they were all good songs, but I’m happy our grade got a good one.” School Archivist Doug Smith explained the importance of the event. “Founder's Day is a way to rekindle the spirit of what used to be called Field Day: an old tradition where the whole school competed together. It’s meant to bring back that school spirit and sense of community, just in a modernized form. When I presented, I wanted to show that our community is what truly builds us, not just one founder or one event. Understanding our history helps students see how the school has grown and evolved, not to stay stuck in the past but to appreciate the roots that shaped who we are,” he said. Previous Next

Jack Lewis ‘25 and Amanda Xi ‘25 < Back Campus Safety to be armed Jack Lewis ‘25 and Amanda Xi ‘25 On Tuesday, March 19, Mercersburg Academy announced the recent decision by the Mercersburg Academy administrative team to enhance Campus Safety by arming officers. This announcement came after months of behind-the-scenes work from many groups, including the school leadership and Pennsylvania State Police. “It's important to note that this decision was not made quickly,” shared Head of School Quentin McDowell in a recent email to the school. “The school has been discussing the prospect of enhancing Campus Safety, including adding an armed component to the Campus Safety officer team, for well over a year.” In fact, reflection on campus security first began in 2015 when Pennsylvania State Police visited Mercersburg Academy campus for a full assessment of campus safety. After surveying, one concern pointed out was the Academy’s open campus. Movement is not regulated on campus; students are required to check out every time they leave campus, but there are no gates, and anyone can enter and leave. In the Pennsylvania State Police assessment, another variable they measured was response time from local and state officers. Mercersburg borough has one police officer, and the assessment found that response time for state police was 15 to 20 minutes, too long for a genuine security threat. This means if an emergency were to occur on campus, campus security would be the first responders, and it is important they feel confident and prepared for the job. The decision was a culmination of many moments when the school believed Campus Safety may not have been as adequately prepared as possible. “[Last year,] we had a bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax, but in the debriefing audit of our response to the event, which we do for every emergency response, we could see that—even though the state police arrived quickly—our location was a factor in the timing of the police response,” said Jennifer Craig, Associate Head of School. “School leadership, from the Board down, agreed that we needed to address this issue of coverage.” Campus security was also involved in the decision from the beginning; officers had brought up possible arming when, in past years, there had been thefts in town. “Nothing dangerous, but enough that we have to lock down and make a decision for the kids,” said Skip Sydnor, Director of Campus Security. Ultimately, the decision was made to ensure the safety of all students. “The use of force has always been, and will always be, an absolute last resort. That being said, we are not willing to risk the safety of our community, and we firmly believe this new policy will increase our ability to protect our students and employees, both in terms of our response options and through deterrence,” said McDowell. As a former state trooper with twenty-six years of experience, Sydnor agreed and said, “We are trained to not use a gun. Training is very strict in Pennsylvania. And we have brought that experience with us.” Many campus security officers are former Pennsylvania State Troopers and have received extensive previous training with firearms. In addition, there are many policies established to secure the safety of students. Officers are required to have an Act 235 lethal weapons training certificate, along with an Act 67 School Security Personnel Training. It is important to note that security will still abide by the use-of-force continuum, which ensures that the use of weapons is a last resort. “[This policy] demands that if any officer, even if they reach for their gun, will have to write a report, and it's going to be reviewed by administrators. It is really the last thing [they] want to do,” said Chief Financial Officer Rachelle Hargraves, who oversees risk assessment for the school. Officers will participate in ongoing training. In response to this policy, various community members, including students and faculty, have expressed their opinions on this decision. English teacher Marc Batson notes that an emergency can occur quickly, but without properly prepared Campus Safety, there is a slow response as a result. However, with armed security, Batson says, “I live down in town, and I live right next to the security guys, which provides me a lot of comfort. I think the same degree of comfort will come onto campus, too. ” Student responses were varied. Malaika Mankey-Akogbeto ’27 said, “When I first heard, I was a little bit skeptical, but then after hearing more about it, I understood. It's for my safety, and I know it's not going to be used in any dangerous way. So I think it's really going to be for the best.” Other students had differing opinions. “I feel like Mercersburg is always saying that we want to be a community with the surrounding town, but I feel like putting the armed forces around the campus does not help us build a better community,” Claire Chow ’26 pointed out. Minh Anh Tran ‘25, a student from Vietnam, said, “Compared to faculty or other staff, I don’t see the campus security officers on campus as much and don’t know their side of protecting us. Coming from a country with no guns, it is going to be a massive change to get used to, but I think understanding what the officers are going to do with them would be helpful.” Part of the process for the decision was understanding that for many Mercersburg Academy community members, this new policy is new and may feel uncomfortable at first. Understanding different backgrounds is important for this change. “I do notice a long ugly history of police enforcement and black students. The role of campus safety is not to discipline students. That is the last thing they want to do,” said Hargraves. In addition to protecting students on campus, there have been questions if the newly armed officers will also take a role in patrolling town. However, Sydnor clarified, “We are not walking through towns without guns. Our number one job carrying guns is to protect the faculty, staff, and students at Mercersburg [Academy].” In addition, the school is also working to include students in the discussion. “We have asked Campus Safety Officers to increase their presence and engagement with adults and students over the last several months, with plans to keep this going through educational training, more frequent interactions, ride-along programs, etc,” said McDowell. “Relationship building is key to balancing physical safety with mental and emotional safety. We are certainly not the only boarding school to be implementing this policy and it is our hope that it will soon be normalized.” For students with more questions or wanting to discuss the new policy, there will be a forum on April 25. Previous Next

Jelly Nguyen '24 < Back Everything's bigger in Texas Jelly Nguyen '24 Last week, several Mercersburg students participated in the National Association of Indn Antonio, Texas. Guiding the group were Renata Williams, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Jamar Galbreath, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Each year, two diversity-focused conferences run concurrently through the NAIS: The NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) and the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference SDLC. Attended by Williams and Galbreath, PoCC attracts private school leaders and teachers to workshops focused toward creating safe space for leadership, professional development and networking for people of all backgrounds. Williams and Galbreath agreed that both PoCC and SDLC gave participants the opportunity to strengthen Mercersburg’s vision by sharing perspectives with other schools. “These conferences are a place for learning, development, and growth for any and all who attend. With a myriad of sessions ranging such as: developing DEI assessment strategies, building seminars focusing on critical topics, affinity spaces, and many more; these conferences provided a great opportunity to build connections with and learn from other students, staff, faculty, and administrators of color from other independent schools across the nation first hand,” said Galbreath. Mercersburg students taking part in SDLC worked with over 7000 students from independent schools from across the US and from 10 different countries. At the conference, students had the chance to develop their “cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles,” said Galbreath. The conferences generated positive feedback from Mercersburg attendees. For Williams, the highlight was the affinity spaces offered, as well as the chance for students to share their experience. “Offering opportunities for folks with shared identities and interests to come together unapologetically. Equally as gratifying was seeing our students share about their conference experience.” For Galbreath, the standout moment was the opportunity to hear one of his heroes, poet Nikki Giovanni, a PoCC keynote Speaker, as well as seeing school leaders who identified as people of color being recognized. “It was incredible seeing the over 65 heads of schools who identify as people of color take the stage,” Galbreath said. Previous Next

Michael Zhang ’26 < Back "Joy span": Dr. Nina Tandon Michael Zhang ’26 On Monday, January 12, Mercersburg Academy welcomed Dr. Nina Tandon as the Ammerman Family Lecturer. She is the CEO and co-founder of EpiBone, a biotechnology company developing personalized skeletal treatments. Her visit was part of the annual series of lectures, this one endowed by Regent Emeritus Andrew Ammerman ’68 and his mother, the late Josephine Ammerman, in memory of Andrew’s father, H. Max Ammerman, and his brother, Stephen Ammerman. “These lectures are designed to bring to our community speakers of national renown who have important perspectives on significant issues. [Tandon’s work] is kind of our future, and this [aligns with the visions] of Ammerman,” Burgin Center Director of Operations Jessica Doubell said. “She’s going to bring a perspective that many of us have never had before.” During the event, Tandon encouraged students to explore their curiosities, sharing her experience growing up as someone with a great variety of interests. She also explained her journey to the founding of EpiBone, during which she worked in a telecommunications company and studied at Columbia University and MIT. The community received her lecture with enthusiasm. “She was a really engaging speaker, and she knew how to talk to her audience of teenagers. She tried to get involved in the conversation and tried to relate to us, which I thought was really helpful,” shared Belle Cleveland ’28. Similarly, Liam Glick ’27 said, “I think she’s a great speaker. I wish she [elaborated more on] her [accomplishments] and on EpiBone because I felt like she dumbed it down a little bit. But she did [do an excellent job of] keeping the [lecture] concise.” In fact, Tandon’s empowering words left many feeling inspired. Caroline Hobbs ’26 said, “She was awesome [and] very empowering. Honestly, a lot of my friends were talking about how we all wanted to be her. [Tandon] gave me a different look on what I want to do in the future, especially as someone that is considering going into medicine. It gave me a wider view of what's possible.” Jaime Madero ’28 echoed, “[My friends and I] all thought it was really inspirational when she was talking about her business and how she [overcame] her hardships.” While on campus, Tandon also engaged with students in Research Science and MAPS senior capstone programs, while also hosting a public Q&A session. “I think it was a great experience. I’m really happy the school could get [Tandon] here. I had the opportunity to talk to her in my MAPS class, too,” said Imangali Zhakan ’26, “She’s a really interesting, passionate, [and] well-versed person.” Throughout her interactions with students, she emphasized the importance of using biology as a tool to innovate, not just for scientists, but for all to use. “I hope that people feel excited [about] the potential for biology to remake our lives. [Our society] talks a lot about longevity. I hope people can feel they can access longevity, as well as something even more important: health span and joy span,” said Tandon. The lectures this year follow three themes: listen , understand , and empower . Doubell stated, “[The goal is for our community to] listen to what somebody has, understand what they’re giving us, and then [be] empowered to go out and make a difference in the world.” The overwhelmingly positive feedback from Tandon’s visit certainly proved her impact. “The school is bringing a lot of really smart people that haven’t been great speakers but I’m really happy that she’s a great orator,” said Zhakan. Before departing campus, Tandon left some final advice: “Gratitude is a superpower. There’s always something to be thankful for, and the universe loves to [reward] people who say thank you.” Previous Next

Mingyu Lee ’28 < Back Dorm, Sweet Dorm! Mingyu Lee ’28 Mercersburg Academy has announced an exciting project which will have a profound effect on campus life: a new dormitory. The new dorm will likely be situated near Tippetts Hall along Sycamore Lane. Construction will not begin for another few years, but it will be the first new dorm since Fowle Hall opened nearly 50 years ago. Quentin McDowell, Head of School, elaborated on the school’s decision to construct a new dormitory: “One of the areas of need identified in our most recent campus master plan was our residence halls. As we prepare to address these emerging concerns in a number of our residence halls, we anticipate that we will have to take individual dorms offline in order to perform the necessary work. So as not to have any disruption to the school or our student body, we have identified the need to build a new residence hall that can hold enough students for us to go in and renovate existing dorms as needed.” McDowell continued, “As for the residential experience, all new buildings should be driven by programming. Thus, as we plan a new dorm we have taken the necessary steps to consider first the ideal experience we want our students to have and then design around those principles.” The dormitory is part of the larger campus master plan. Julia Maurer, Associate Head of School for School Life, explained what a master plan is: “The campus master plan is a blueprint for the next decades in terms of the projected needs of the campus. Spaces eventually will need updating and renovating or to be replaced. And the campus master plan aims to take a look at all the needs in the campus and give us a blueprint for how to move forward. Building the new dorm and that site have been identified for quite some time.” On October 15, students were able to see potential designs of the future dormitory. From that, the school gathered feedback. Maurer explained, “The feedback from students was incredibly important because it's going to be the students' living space. Also the way that they designed that particular dormitory will help us think about what elements we want all of our spaces to have when there is renovation.” Jennifer Craig, Associate Head of School, noted, “I want to be really clear that people understand that those are conceptual drawings; those are not architectural drawings. People can go look and make a critique of every part of those buildings, because I'm sure that's not exactly what they're going to look like, meaning that all of that feedback can possibly lead to redesign.” Craig continued, “In our dorms, we'd like to have some bigger spaces so that clubs could meet there or [students] could grow some gardens… and cooking can happen there, so it can feel much more like home in that way.” Conceptual drawings depicted modern designs, and some students wondered how such a dorm would or would not fit into the architecture of the campus. Roy Seligman ’28 said, “I think the design looks pretty cool, and the potential amenities in the description of the new dorms seem really exciting. My only qualm is that it doesn't really fit in with the rest of the campus.” Noah Park ’29 echoed that sentiment: ”It is a futuristic design compared to most of the dorms. It is good to have a modernistic design, but I feel it lacks the old legacy on the campus.” Others expressed concern about the interior of the building. Ally Snyder ’28 worried about the structure of the rooms: “I thought that… the dorm design looked really cool and futuristic, but I think, upon closer inspection, it's very set in its way. My roommate and I rearranged our entire room to make it more homey and make it more like what we enjoy…. [Y]ou can't do that in these rooms because the desks are built into the floor.” Siyuan Wan ’27 agreed: “The idea of having each single room almost exactly identical and making it really small makes me feel it's going to look like a jail. There are no other variations in room structure. They were just one box and another box next to it and so on.” Other students appreciated the dorm’s design. Yule Kwon ’26 said, “I think it will be a very fresh and energetic design for the old campus.” Charlie Higgins ’29 recognized the dorm’s greatest potential: “We'll have more space and it'll be another place for students to hang out.” Previous Next

Caroline Hobbs ‘25 < Back The Andy Brown club Caroline Hobbs ‘25 With the appointment of Andy Brown as Assistant Dean of Student Life, The Mercersburg News conducted an interview with Brown where he shared his vision for his work to come. Mercersburg News : “Can you tell us more about your prior experiences at Mercersburg?” Andy Brown : “Teacher, coach, Dean on Duty, Grade Dean” MN : “Were your jobs in the past similar to the ones you have now” AB : “I mean kind of - it's like putting together a program. So basically, in leadership of any educational program you build out, you know what you want the outcome to be and you build out what has to happen. It is building programming, whether you are building programming for the Robotics PGA, the culture for the football team, or a capstone project. It is all transferable skills, right? It's having an outcome, how to get there, how to make sure we do it where it meets as many people's needs as possible, and then collect feedback on it and make sure we improve it for the next time” MN : “What does your new position entail?” AB : “It's a new position, basically in charge of student activities programming. I’m also the dean of day students, so I am monitoring how the day students are doing on campus, and how to improve their experience here. I am also in charge of behavior from 0-18 [behavioral points]. My job is to help with early intervention, such as students racking up late points, missing classes, or missing required appointments. I try to identify potential situations earlier and get students the help and support they need.” MN : “With Trini retired, what do you hope to bring to your new role as SAC Director?” AB : “Man, that's a loaded question. Well, I want to carry the same energy and care Trini had and the excitement she brought to student activities. Getting back out in the community is to get to more local areas Harpers Ferry, Frederick, Washington DC, Pittsburg, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. You know get everyone out and about.” MN: “Since you now serve the school in multiple capacities, how do you balance your various commitments?” AB: “Right now I don’t! I’m excited! It's like any time you’re in a new position, you have to figure out what you don’t know, and I just don’t know what I don’t know, right now . I’m super thankful for all the support from the people I work with to make sure all the events happen the way they are supposed to. The building and grounds people do a phenomenal job helping me out and getting things set up. So, just being surrounded by a lot of great people, knowing it's a lot of work, in the beginning, to get things established and the balance will come hopefully in a week or so.” MN : “Can you tell us about any SAC events that are currently in the works?” AB : “Ummmmmmm, I mean I have a schedule of some upcoming ones. Well, we’ll see, there are some ideas I gave and we’ll see if they come out or not. So, I’ll leave the suspense to hang…but we’re hoping to have some cool stuff. Previous Next

Bauhinia Chen ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 < Back Living between the lines Bauhinia Chen ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 On Monday, October 27, the Mercersburg Academy community gathered to hear author Safia Elhillo speak about her life experience as a Sudanese-American woman and discuss the year’s all-school-read Home is Not a Country , based on her experiences. Director of Library Services Alexandra Patterson led the Community Reading Committee, composed of faculty members and students. She said, “One of the factors that we consider is whether the author is someone that we might want to bring to campus. We got really lucky in this case that the book was the one chosen and that she was available to come.” Patterson added, regarding the choice, “The books that were on the table were quite varied. We had a nonfiction text, we had a more traditional fictional text, and we had this novel in verse. Ultimately, this was the book that felt most accessible to all members of our committee, while also providing a way for us to discuss the theme of the year, which is ‘Listen, Understand, Empower.’” Patterson further expanded on the choice. “What resonated most, and what I hope folks are able to take away, is this idea of home not necessarily being one particular palace. In a community like ours, where folks are coming from all over the world, I would hope that Mercersburg becomes a sort of a home for them, but that they’re also able to share that idea of home with one another.” She continued, “I often hear from students in the English classroom that they don’t necessarily see themselves represented in books. Being able to provide this other perspective, that perhaps is as often seen in literature, hopefully helped open those conversations and allowed students who maybe don’t see themselves reflected as much to see that is possible.” Her words inspired academy students from diverse backgrounds. Ellie Yang ‘27 said, “I think because our community is very international, what she said had profound meaning, often not talked about in our community. I really enjoyed how she talked about what a country is and the label that it puts onto a person. And her idea of a third language. I think the ideas of intersectionality and being caught between cultures spoke to me because they represented how I feel coming to America and not being necessarily fluent in Chinese when I’m from China, but then again, being too Asian here.” “It was very insightful. I enjoyed her take on the world. I thought that her idea of belonging really resonated with a lot of people. She invited us to think about what is our home. It’s about surrounding yourself with people who make you feel like yourself and finding your place in it,” said Audrey Stambaugh ‘27. Ruby Cameron ‘29 added her thoughts. “I really connected with her story about reading poetry in the club, because that’s really unconventional, but she does it anyway just because it makes her happy and it’s really inspirational.” Cameron added, “She said she felt like she doesn’t have a group she can relate with, and I feel like that’s also true in my life, as well.” Previous Next

Rhiannon Myhre '25 < Back Caught between commitments Rhiannon Myhre '25 Whether returning home or embarking on a new adventure, students cherish breaks as an opportunity for rest and rejuvenation. Students look forward to time away from school where they spend much of their daily lives and much effort grueling over work. At Mercersburg Academy, winter break officially begins at noon. However, differences in campus departure times are inevitable as students rush to catch flights, especially in a school with a diverse, international and domestic population. To accommodate individual needs, Mercersburg has permitted international students to leave early if needed to catch flights home. Tiana Lee ’25, who travels 15-hours to journey back to South Korea, explains, “There aren’t specific rules, but I usually leave early in the morning. This means missing some classes, but I fill out the necessary requests, and my teachers are understanding.” It’s no surprise that not every student can adhere to the set departure time. Flights can be expensive, important family matters can arise, and airports have limited departure times. Just before the recent winter break, several students who had petitioned to leave school early reported receiving communication from the Office of Student Life (OSL) stating that their circumstances did not meet the criteria for missing required commitments, resulting in behavior points. Elizabeth Orders ’25 was one of the students who received a notification. “I received an email asking me to stop by the Office of Student Life to discuss my leave request. My travel form had been submitted weeks before, and my plane tickets and travel plans were established well in advance,” Orders explained. She petitioned to leave early on Thursday morning because there was only one flight to Steamboat, CO, where she would be staying with her family. “I was told I would receive five points for the two classes I was missing. I proposed spending the night in Mercersburg to OSL but was told that wasn’t possible.” She was informed that this option was only available to international students, who were permitted to leave early anyway. Despite Orders’ efforts to find a middle ground, she was unable to reach a solution. Orders was not the only student suddenly faced with behavior points. Sarah Ali ’25 needed to leave campus a week early to meet religious obligations. Both Ali and her family assumed there would be no major consequences for her departure, given the nature of her request. However, Ali was informed by OSL that she would receive upwards of 90 behavior points for her absences. Ali, when reflecting on her experience, explained that she understood the need for the school to assess each case. “Every situation is different, and my reason was for religious reasons, so the school can’t really say no to things like that. I’m sure if it was for any other reason, the school likely wouldn’t have approved such a request. I think it just depends on the situation and how viable the reason is,” Ali noted. Luntu Radebe ’25 found herself trying to return to South Africa on an early flight, explaining that her mother had booked the most affordable flight as soon as the school schedule was released. Radebe notified the school a month in advance but was still penalized. “What’s the point of filling out the petition to miss required appointments if none of them will be approved?” Radebe asked. Additionally, she was surprised to learn that the petitions were not sent to her teachers but were reviewed solely by the Office of Student Life. This seemed pointless to her, as she believed teachers should be the first to be notified. These recent situations have raised questions about the flexibility and fairness of Mercersburg’s leave policies. While the school understandably seeks to maintain order and accountability, the recent point allotments have made students feel that the rigidity of the policy does not always account for individual circumstances. In defense of the policy, Andy Brown, Dean of Students for Community Life, emphasized the importance of maintaining consistency in expectations. "Our community expectation is that students are in class while school is in session," Brown stated. However, students like Radebe and Orders highlight the disconnect between the system’s intent and its perceived impact. Radebe’s frustration with the approval process and Orders’ failed attempts to compromise suggest a lack of flexibility and communication in addressing valid individual needs. Brown told the News that the purpose of the behavior feedback system is "to document and track patterns, not to focus on points and totals, but to provide support and guidance so expectations can be met by all." Many students believe this purpose is not effectively communicated or realized in practice. Students like Radebe and Orders found themselves penalized despite making proactive efforts to follow protocol. While the Office of Student Life is working to bring consistency to student departures from campus and eliminate the likelihood of students missing classes, it seems that the recent policy shift conflicted with the annual timing of student and family planning. Previous Next

Gigi Devlin '24 < Back A Meri-goodbye to Korhammer Gigi Devlin '24 With three meals served per day including weekday family style lunches and semi-formal Monday night dinners, the preparation of food is critical to the Mercersburg community. The dining hall food is made by meal provider Meriwether Godsey, who took over from the previous provider, SAGE Dining, as Mercersburg’s caterer in 2020. For the past two years, MG manager Bill Korhammer has been its directing force. However, in a few weeks, Korhammer will be leaving the school to take on the position of district manager within the Meriwether Godsey company. Korhammer is sad to leave the community behind. “My favorite part was interacting with the students, the faculty, and the staff. Everybody's great and I hope to have made good meals that they enjoyed. I loved listening to their feedback and making the changes that were necessary to make this a program that everyone wanted to utilize in their day-to-day life.” But to his wife’s great satisfaction, the new position brings him back home to Easton, Pennsylvania, where he will be overseeing the accounts for Northern New Jersey and Manhattan, New York. To Korhammer, the new position is exciting. “It’s a great opportunity for me and gets me home. I had a place here, but my home will always be in Easton.” Working in the dining hall is a difficult job. The staff is in from the early morning to prepare breakfast until late in the evening, cleaning up after dinner. With his family two hours away, the community and his staff here became his family. Korhammer’s main job has been to focus on the paperwork and the financial aspects of serving meals to over five hundred people, but he is a very hands-on director. Chances are you’ve seen him doing the dishes, helping with the cooking, or passing the meals to white coats during family-style meals. “People have seen me at the front of the house, people have seen me at the back of the house, just trying to help out wherever I can.” When he considered what he would do with his new-found free time, Korhammer joked, “Do I have any free time?” When he is not working, he tries to relax. He enjoys reading and playing fantasy football, but most importantly, he will be happy to be home with his family. Previous Next

Michael Zhang ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 < Back The hike to get your food Michael Zhang ’26 & Tristan Paulette ’27 Last week, Mercersburg Academy announced that all food deliveries must now be made to a centralized location outside the Edwards Room. The location was selected to limit traffic on campus and so that the address, “2 Rutledge Road,” will be impossible for incoming delivery drivers to miss. An additional Campus Safety Officer will be stationed on site to monitor the area. The move followed a series of events that raised safety concerns for the school community. Chief Financial and Operating Officer Rochelle Hargraves said, “[Several] incidents occurred. [In one of them,] a delivery driver insisted that a student get into his car to give directions. Additionally, we’ve had multiple instances in which food or grocery delivery drivers have entered the dormitories.” Associate Head of School Jen Craig said, “There was way more access and much less safety around different deliveries; [drivers] were driving too fast around dorms.” The location change will centralize deliveries and make enforcement of campus rules simpler and more effective. “[Those incidents] pose a safety risk to all students, and our primary goal is to ensure the safety of our community,” stated Hargraves. “By moving the food delivery location to the Edwards Room entrance, we are ensuring that delivery drivers do not enter our campus and aiming to reduce in-person interaction between the delivery driver and the student placing the order.” School leaders attributed the surge in delivery frequency to the limited on-campus dining options. “The fact that we don’t have a True Blue Café [most likely leads] to an [increase] in food deliveries at this moment,” said Craig. Naturally, students’ responses vary depending on their dorm’s distance from the delivery location. Main Hall prefect Eric Cittadine ’26 commented, “It’s really annoying having to walk that far, especially when it’s so cold. But I guess it isn’t too far, especially compared to some of the other dorms.” Swank Hall resident Paris Zhang ’27 said, “Honesty, it’s not a big hustle for me. I do see why they want to protect our safety, but I feel like there are better ways [to do so] than making people walk all the way to Keil.” “I think it’s inconvenient for people who live far away, like people in Tippetts. I know it’s temporary; hopefully it will change soon,” Matthew Orders ’27, a Tippetts Hall resident, noted. Swank Hall resident Renny Rana ’26 added, “My thing is that it’s kind of inconvenient when you’re just quickly studying, and then you have to go all the way to Keil [Hall], so I have to walk all the way outside my dorm just to go to the Edwards Room.” Rana continued, expanding on an experience in which she received a behavior notification for sending her food delivery to the wrong location: “I ordered Panera, and I forgot to switch my address. And then, [Campus Security] took a photo of me getting my food. Later, [Kristin] Ahlgren talked to me, and I got a behavior notice.” Although this solution is intended to be temporary, the school administration has yet to reach a consensus on a permanent solution. Craig discussed the long-term plan for food delivery: “We’ve begun to talk about it, but no, there are not any specific plans as of this moment.” Previous Next